The C, B, & Q was the Railroad of my father. Burlington Northern is the Railroad that I worked on but I still have a stronger affinity for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy.
All these small photos are of C, B, & Q engines.
To the right is the C, B, & Q yards during the steam era. You can see the roundhouse on the far right.
The Switching yards in Galesburg were very large. In it;s heyday, Galesburg was very much a Railroad town.
Galesburg, Illinois is a town of about 38,000, located south of the Quad Cities and NW of Peoria, Illinois. The town was founded in the 1830s. Chauncey Colton was Galesburg's first merchant and more importantly, he made sure the railroad came through Galesburg. Colton had heard about a little village being founded on the prairie in Illinois and decided to see for himself. He arrived in Log City, the predecessor of Galesburg, in 1837 to start a small business. He found the settlers to be hard working, religious, and honest people. William Lewis had a smokehouse in Log City and permitted Chauncey to use it as a store. Colton also bought a lot on the proposed Public Square in the new town of Galesburg.
Colton was so excited about his prospects in Galesburg that he went back East and persuaded his family to return with him. He also ordered a load of goods for his new store and had it shipped by steamboat to Oquawka, the nearest landing place. During the first winter, Mrs. Colton was the storekeeper,while her husband and his borther built the new store in Galesburg. Colton's business beame very popular and for a time, was the only store in Galesburg.
By 1850, every one of Galesburg's residents realized the importance of good transportation to the store. Colton and Silas Willard, another leading merchant, led the struggle to obtain a charter that would bring a railroad line through Galesburg. The whole town was excited about the idea Galesburg getting its own railroad line. Colton's store became the hub of acitivity. During this period three railroad lines had begun construction: the Peoria to Oquawka line, the Northern Cross line, and a line from Burlington.
While Colton was in Boston buying goods for his store he met two important men who shared Colton's interest in railroads. Little did Colton know, this meeting would change Galesburg forever. The three men decided organize a railroad that would go from Burlington to Galesburg and then on to Aurora. From there it would connect with a line going to Chicago. Also, the Northern Cross Railroad could connect with the Burlington and Aurora line. A charter was drawn up and a new railroad was born--the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad.
Galesburg's portion of the project was to raise $300,000, which was an enormous amount of money in those days. Every resident was asked to contribute and Colton, Willard, and other citizens worked frantically to raise the money. A total of $225,000 was finally raised, but they were still $50,000 short. Colton boldly donated $25,000 of his own money, as did Willard. They had saved the day and Galesburg would get its railroad! The first train pulled in to Galesburg in December of 1854 and was the beginning of a new era.
